Er,, no its not free , I done it last yr (2011) and at one feed station the only thing that was free was milk cos it sponsored by fresh n lo, there was some sort of women's institute / baking thing that was like a stall full of cakes but you had to buy them , there was a big free food stop at kirkliston palace I think but do not go expecting everything all day to b free(unless it's milk)
The hill out of avonbridge feed stop is a killer and to second somebody else's thought its full of people who maybe only ride once a yr and wobble about all over the place , the general standard of riding is pretty low I'd say ( think mums and kids / fat guys on mountain bikes /middle age women who are doing it for charity , that kinda thing ( don't let urself get ridden/pushed near the pavement cos when some overweight Sunday cyclist stops you have to as well as u cant pass them due to the crowd (btw this was the challenge not the big sportive)
I actually came off in Coatbridge as somebody was going for a gap and clipped my front wheel , I was left lying in the road trying to dodge all the bikes behind me while they cycled away ( no doubt oblivious)
No , I won't b doing it again , too many body's and no or very little bike skills amongst them
( du get the feeling I didn't enjoy it lol, - I enjoyed the good bits but it realy has become a victim of its own success
( and just to prove -